


End of the Summer

by Essie321



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Multi, but hopeful?, everything is blink and you miss it, kinda angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 16:24:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17984588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Essie321/pseuds/Essie321
Summary: A drowsy high school summer holiday fic, with Thor, Bruce and Brunnhilde at the centre





	End of the Summer

**Author's Note:**

> This was written ages ago, but I've only just gotten around to posting it. Felt kinda weird to post it in winter bc of the big summer heat vibes. I love these three so much!! Let me know what you think :)  
> Also no Beta so if you spot mistakes please tell me!!!

  
For the third night in a row the heat had become so unbearable it woke him. The air was dense and humid, making it difficult to breathe. Thor was sweat-stuck to his sheets, feeling almost hysterical with the need to sleep and the inability to do so. He had been drifting in and out all night, having lucid dreams of his brother. He thought he could hear him talking in the hallway or just outside the window. He kept jolting awake, only to find himself in another dream, where nothing bizarre happened, but nothing made sense. It felt like that Loki was near – his presence invading his dreams. It was his absence that Thor felt more.  
  
Loki had gone away to stay with their sister Hella in Washington for the holidays. After the explosive discovery of his adoption he had needed space from their Dad, and Thor and his Mum needed space from their arguing. Despite the reprieve, Thor missed him and wanted him home. The farm-house felt empty without him.  
  
Around 4 am the heat let up and the fans kicked in. Thor became aware of the dryness of his mouth and water became increasingly attractive to him. Naked, he stumbled out of bed and into the hallway. His body was heavy and it felt like there was a lapse between his thoughts and his movements. Like his mind was so far away his brain’s instructions had to travel great distances to get to his feet. The house seemed to be existing in another dimension, with twilight giving everything an unreal look. The tepid light of early morning lent the walls an unstable quality. While the rough carpet underneath his toes was grounding, it crossed Thor’s mind that maybe he was still asleep.  
Shuffling into the semi-dark of the kitchen, Thor made for the sink. The lukewarm tap water pulled him back to reality and washed away the last of sleep’s hold on him. After his third gulped glass he set the slick cup on the counter, and just paused. Thor knew there wouldn’t be any more sleep tonight. The thought of returning to his bed was repulsive. So he went back to his room, pulled on some shorts, and began to strip the damp sheets off his bed. Restlessness always made him productive.  
  
Friends would guess that Loki was the night owl – it was his aesthetic. But for as long as Thor could remember his younger brother was always out like a light and slept like a log. Thor, however, woke at the slightest disturbance. When he was seven his Dad had to put up blackout blinds in his room because even the faintest lights passing made it impossible for him to get to sleep. Being small and arguing with Loki about whether the hallway light should be left on felt like a lifetime ago. If Frigga caught Thor being maudlin she would call him her _sweet old soul_ , but worry would be in her eyes.  
  
Thor crept into his parent’s room, avoiding creaking floorboards, to grab their laundry hamper. His Mum was curled on her side fast asleep despite his Dad’s rumbling snores, her greying blond hair in a long plait over one shoulder. Thor made it out without waking them – it was like living with a family of hibernating bears, but the only consequence of disturbing them was guilt and not a gory end. Dragging the basket back to his room, he grabbed his headphones from the side of his bed and put a Tedtalk on and started to split whites from colours. Monotony and clever talk was his secret combination to drown out night-time anxieties.  
  
Thor heard his parent’s alarm go off as he was pulling the second load out of the machine, it was another half hour before his Mum appeared. He was outside and hanging sheets on the line as she wandered down to him. She was wearing the silky green robe that Hella had sent her for her birthday last week. It still had the creases of packaging. Frigga wrapped her small arms around his waist and kissed his shoulder. Last summer he had finally overtook her, and he hadn’t stopped growing since. He missed how he used to fit into her embrace, but he was glad that he hadn’t stayed short. Loki’s teasing of him had finally ended and it was great to be able to match his lanky brother in height. Maybe he would get taller again and be able to fit his head on top of hers, roles fully swapped. But, Thor didn’t like the reminder that the future was coming closer – that soon he would be all grown up.  
  
She reached down to the basket and began to help put the last of it up. They made quick work together, and the quiet companionship seemed to calm the last of his worries that had been conjured in the night.  
  
“Up long, sweetheart?” Frigga asked, her ever present concern showing in the lines around her eyes.  
  
Thor hummed a little, so she prompted him again.  
  
“It’s the heat, isn’t it?”  
  
“I had a bad dream,” Thor confessed, wanting to tell her everything.  
  
Frigga relaxed, nightmares were known territory.  
  
“What about?”  
  
“I can’t remember,” Thor paused, “But I couldn’t wake up.”  
  
“Those ones are the worst.”  
  
“It was confusing, it was so vivid.”  
  
Thor turned to his Mum, and realised he was being dramatic, “Probably shouldn’t have had all those chips before bed.”  
  
She snorted, “My growing boy.”  
  
Thor looked up at the cloudless sky.  
  
“It’s going to be another hot one today.”  
  
“Thank God for air conditioning” She lent in and gave him another hug, but pulled back fairly soon after.  
  
“Odin’s going to cook up some bacon, so you best get a shower,” Frigga said with a smile. “You must have been sweating like a pig last night, honey, you stink.”  
  
Thor laughed and gave her a playful nudge with his hip.  
  
“Good morning to you too, Mum.”  
  
She was right though, he could smell himself, and it was not attractive. He went to run up the patio, but turned and called “Make sure you save some for me, Dad’s getting fat!”  


  
After breakfast Frigga started to put food into Thor’s backpack. She was humming to herself, and Thor smiled. He was back at the sink this time doing the washing up. Something had gone wrong last weekend with the dishwasher, but he didn’t mind the chore. For some reason it was less annoying than having to unpack the dishwasher. Also, scrubbing the grill tray clean made him feel oddly accomplished. He was a success in scraping bacon fat off metal. Small wins.  
  
“So there is enough for Bruce, and your girlfriend.”  
  
Thor shook his head in exasperation. Frigga knew full well that Brunnhilde was far from his girlfriend. Not that he didn’t find her attractive. He loved her as much as he loved Bruce. They were his friends, and he loved his friends. No romantic feelings. However, every time he tried to explain this to his Mum, he got all flustered and said it wrong. She would get this knowing smile and he would get all red.  
  
“Stop making it weird!”  
  
Frigga laughed, “I am doing no such thing.”  
  
She leant over and ruffled his buzzed head. She pouted a little. She hated the impulsive late night decision to cut all is hair off at the start of the heat wave. Loki had just made fun of his ears when he had sent a snap. Which was usual Loki behaviour. Comfortingly normal. He had said that he looked like Sif, a childhood friend who had had one of her pigtails cut off at a sleepover. It had led to such an uneven hair cut that even a trip to hair dressers couldn’t fix. Thor knew it had been Loki, but there had been no proof. He also would never tattle on his baby brother. Sif had pushed Loki over the previous night, causing such nasty rug burn his knees had bled. That also wasn’t an accident.  
  
Frigga helped a heavy backpack onto Thor’s back. She tutted as he dried his hands on his shorts, and passed him a tea towel.  
  
“Make good choices, sweetie.”  
  
“I always do!” Thor replied, trying to sound like he was offended, but coming across immature.  
  
Frigga kissed his cheek, at the outside the door. She was heading to work, and he was going to Bruce’s. Odin had dashed out immediately after breakfast to catch his carpool. Thor waited astride his bike as his Mum backed down the driveway, and waved.  


  
It wasn’t that far to Bruce’s from Thor’s house. He liked to cycle it because the route was quiet and pretty flat. He knew that he could pick up his bike tomorrow to go back home.   
The journey wasn’t long, and wove in and out of houses. There was a small section where he had to go down some steps, but he had perfected a technique where he wouldn’t have to get off his bike. The thumping jolts of the steps were exciting despite having been taken a thousand times. Thor felt himself warm towards the day. He knew that if anybody could help him feel happy, it was Bruce and Hilde.  
  
Thankfully Bruce’s driveway was empty except for Bruce’s truck. Mr Banner was not someone Thor enjoyed seeing. He was not someone anyone enjoyed seeing. The man was so universally dislikeable it was a red flag if anyone had anything good to say about him. Thor got off his bike, and leant it around the side of the house, next to some bushes. It couldn’t be seen unless you knew it was there. Thor walked around to the back door. It was left open in the heat, and Thor was a common enough guest to be allowed to walk in whenever.  
  
Standing in the kitchen, Thor called up to Bruce, who he could hear in the bathroom upstairs.  
  
“One sec –” Bruce’s voice called back, then added, “make yourself comfortable!”  
  
Thor went and got a glass from the cupboard and filled it up with water. Hydration is important in the heat, as his Mum loved to say.  
  
Thor saw a postcard of a sunny beach on the fridge. The magnet holding it up was one of the kinnect building pieces everyone had when they were nine.  
  
“How’s Stark doing?” Thor shouted to Bruce.  
  
“In the Caribbean with his Mum. He’s talking about dropping out of school to run a beach bar.”  
  
That sounded a lot like Tony. Bruce’s footsteps clattered down the stairs.  
  
“So, pretty well then.”  
  
Bruce appeared in the doorway, and shrugged.  
  
“We’ll see.”  
  
Thor knew exactly what he meant. The more dramatic Stark got the more concerned you ought to be. He wouldn’t be surprised if the rumours of bipolar were founded in truth. Equally, they could be bullshit. Tony could just be Tony, bad coping mechanisms and all. After all Loki was just Loki, with no reason for it. Bruce, was Bruce. Brunnhilde, Hilde. And Thor, himself. If Thor knew anything, it was that life fucked everyone in their own way.  
  
“Anyway, he’s taking Pepper to Paris for a week so she will have him back on the straight and narrow soon enough.”  
  
Thor smiled, and meant it. The thought of serious, studious Virginia Potts getting away from her massive family for her first holiday abroad was a good one. Tony’s chaos could only seem to be tempered by her sense. He only ever seemed to want to work hard or behave if it was for her. They were an odd pair, but it worked.  
  
Thor also knew that life was never all bad.

  
Their spot wasn’t too far out – but far enough that they had never seen anyone else there. The river was slow moving, and with the hot temperature it had shallowed out to a point where Thor could walk from one side to the other without getting his shoulders wet. He preferred it that way.  
  
Bruce’s truck rumbled across the overgrown dirt paths, and branches whipped past, occasionally catching Thor’s arm where it leant on the open window. They slowed to a stop under a shadowy tree a few paces back from the river.  
  
Excitement and heat had Thor giddy, pulling off his top before Bruce had even undone his seatbelt.  
  
Reaching for the door handle, Thor screeched, “Race!” and charged out of the truck.  
  
“Damn Cheater!”  
  
Bruce stumbled out, already too late. Thor had kicked his sneakers off, yanked his shorts down, and cannonballed bare assed into the river. With defeat set, Bruce got their towels out and made his way over at a more sedate pace. He put the towels over a low hanging branch, and stripped, wading in to the middle of the river where Thor was floating on his back.  
  
Bruce gave him a half-hearted splash, only to get dunked. Not wanting to drown Bruce, Thor let him up and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. The water was cold and contrasted perfectly with the air.  
  
“Feels good right?”  
  
“Yeah,” Bruce said breathlessly, dragged a hand through his wet curls, and let a peaceful quiet descend between the two of them. Bugs were chirping, but there were no birds. It was like they, too, were hiding from the heat.  
  
Thor tried to ignore where their skin touched, but he could feel Bruce’s breathing slow down, while the thud of his heart followed. They had never had a problem with intimacy, neither of them were the kind of guys who called ‘No Homo’ and felt uncomfortable with their friends. Still, Thor pushed away and swam a little upstream, attempting lengths as far as possible.  
  
Bruce floated, cooling himself from the stuffy journey. He equally tried to remain casual. They had been here many times, because they were friends. And who really cared about a bit of nudity between friends? Brunnhilde would laugh at him if she saw him getting flustered.  
  
As if reading his mind, Thor called down to Bruce, “When’s Hilde coming?”  
  
“Her foster parents have her running errands until like mid-day, so we probably won’t see her until three.”  
  
Thor snorted, dived down and made his way back to Bruce, and proposed another race.  
  
Pulling his head under, then pushing up from the base of the river, Bruce washed away his thoughts. He swam towards Thor and their start line, certain he wasn’t going to let him cheat again. Anyway he had better technique.   


  
The first sign of Brunnhilde’s coming was the sound of her crappy bike fighting its way along the dirt track – later than either of them had predicted, it was still bright though. They hadn’t been worried, they both knew from experience that Hilde worked on her own time. She wasn’t wearing a helmet despite the fact Bruce had bought her one at the start of the summer to celebrate her buying the shit thing.  
  
Thor knew that Bruce had enjoyed driving her everywhere in his truck, being able to spend any time with her, and that he worried about her coming off her bike. He also knew that Bruce would never mention it because of how proud she was of being able to buy it for herself. That, and her desperate need for freedom. The ability to drive off whenever she wanted. The helmet was Bruce’s way of saying that he respected that, but still wanted her safe. She still ignored it. Whether out of purpose or forgetfulness, Thor didn’t know.  
  
“Hey losers, you been in there all this time?”  
  
Bruce clambered out, careful of the slick bank, and grabbed his towel. Hilde stared shamelessly all the while. His feet and shins were muddy from the clay river base as it was pointless to scrub it off, because in the process of climbing back up from the river you would just get filthy again.  
  
Hilde swung off her bike, and stripped down to her pants – she had stopped going full monty after catching an episode of River Monsters that Thor was too grossed out to finish. When he had teased her about suddenly becoming a prude she went on to lecture him extensively about what sort of creatures were out there just waiting to crawl up his anus.   
Thor tried to point out that he didn’t think his boxers would be much help if a river monster wanted to crawl up his anus. Hilde said it was the principle of the matter, to which Bruce laughed and asked whether river monsters obeyed principles. He won their arguments, as usual.  
  
“Don’t stop on account of me!” Hilde called over to Bruce who was hopping around pulling his boxers on.  
  
She took a step back and started a running jump, angling herself just right to cannonball right next to where Thor was floating.  
And so started their water fight.  
  
Bruce had predicted this, which was why he got out at her arrival. Thor and Brunnhilde could be like puppies, shamelessly play fighting and never appearing to get tired. Sure if the mood was right he was game to join in, but things had been hard at home yesterday, and he just wanted to sleep in the low sunlight. Bruce dozed for a while, settled on a damp towel, listening to the sounds of his friends laughter and the screech of crickets from the tall grass.  


  
It was Thor who shook him awake, and passed him a sloppily cut baguette which was stuffed full of grated cheese and mayo. Hilde was crouched across from him munching on hers, getting crumbs of cheese everywhere. _For the Ants!_ There was a big two litre bottle of water each – as well as some apples from Frigga’s garden. Bruce knew that there was some half melted chocolate stashed somewhere in his truck – but that was a later problem.  
Thor and Hilde were dressed once more, and Bruce felt a little imbalanced being the only one in his underwear, but the need to eat was the more pressing concern.  
  
They made idle chit chat, a lot of it complaints about the temperature and pauses for another mouthful. Bruce asked after Loki, but Thor said that he hadn’t heard anything new. He saw how strained Thor looked around his eyes and Bruce felt a bit sick. If you were loved by someone as much as Loki was by Thor – you shouldn’t treat him like he was. Bruce knew that Loki couldn’t see it. He hated him all the same for it. Bruce offered Thor a smile, but the one that was retuned was more of a grimace. The three of them fell into a quite lull, until Hilde jumped up.  
  
“Right, time to get drunk losers!”  
  
She always knew a good solution.

  
The rum that Brunnhilde brought with her was cheap and strong. The rank sweetness made Thor grimace as he swallowed it down, making her laugh and Bruce smile. They would usually start to make a fire around about now, but it was too hot to want one, and Bruce had cautioned them in his serious and concerned way about the dangers of wildfire in dry grass. They had all heard it before but he felt the need to remind them every time. Bruce wouldn’t even let Hilde indulge her occasional cigarette – her half-hearted complaints never had any passion. She just liked to argue for the sake of it most of the time.  
  
Thor’s sleepless night was catching up with him, and paired with the heat and the alcohol, it had him sleepy. His eyes kept drooping, but he was fighting it, he didn’t want the evening to end. He didn’t want the summer to end.  
  
“– And that’s when I punched him!” Brunnhilde cried, swinging her arm back in a dramatic re-enactment of her latest exploits.  
Bruce snorted, perhaps remembering the events a little differently.  
  
“Yes, and that is when _you_ got us permanently banned from the only cinema in a thirty mile radius.”  
  
“He deserved it.” Hilde said, then tuned to Thor, “You think I was right, don’t you?”  
  
“Yes! Of course,” Thor replied too quickly, catching Bruce’s quick smirk. “If I had been there, I’d’ve hit him way before you.”  
  
He hadn’t really been following the story in is dazed state, but he had seemed to get the answer right if Brunnhilde’s crowing of “SEE! I told you so!” was anything to go by.  
  
Bruce only chuckled, “Sure, sure, please the pair of you protect my delicate honour.”  
  
Hilde swooped down to kiss Bruce’s curly head, calling him her pretty princess, and to attempt to tickle his soft sensitive sides. Bruce quickly squirmed out of her grip, to leave her giggling in the dry grass. He grabbed the bottle from Thor’s loose grip, and took a small swig.  
  
Bruce never drank much, only really for the sociability, but he was well familiar with the concept. Thor was relatively new to drinking. He never wanted to disappoint his Mum, so always opted to be designated driver. Hilde, however, had broken him down. Her personal record was just over a week of getting drunk every night. Thor wasn’t entirely sure that was something to brag about, but never let on that he sometimes worried for her. They were still new in their friendship. He wasn’t sure that it was his place.  
  
The point was as a result of his inexperience, he was a massive light weight. Bruce always joked that it was preferable because it made him a cheap drunk. But it didn’t make any difference since they only ever bought the same bottle of twelve dollar rum. They knew what they liked, and they liked to get drunk quick. All alcohol that they could afford tasted crap – so they just got the strongest that Hilde’s suspect friends could wrangle.  
  
Bruce started to shuffle a deck of cards, while Hilde passionately reminded them of the rules of shithead – Thor was certain she changed the rules every time they played. It wasn’t always to her benefit as she equally couldn’t keep track of them and had a habit of changing rules halfway through.  
  
Thor sat in the moment and couldn’t help wonder how he had gotten this lucky. He didn’t want to keep this thought to himself, so told them.  
  
Hilde laughed, cheeks flushed prettily, and asked, “How the hell do you messy this quickly?”  
  
But Thor could tell that she was pleased.  
  
Bruce let out a chuckle as well and said, “C’mon Hilds, catch up.”  


  
Thor couldn’t really feel the harshness of the ground beneath the damp towels that the three of them were lying on. The stars were partly obscured by clouds, but the night was still bright and the sky still wide. Hilde’s soft little snores from between them seemed like the only sound, and in sleep her size seemed to shrink without the full force of her waking presence. Her snarled hair was tickling his neck, so Thor gently brushed it out of her face, trying to smooth curls without waking her. She snuffled, and he had to shift his arm downward to accommodate her insistent cuddling, only to brush with Bruce’s hand – who was on Hilde’s other side. Together they were like her blanket and pillow, her half sprawled on Thor, Bruce with his arms around her. It worked despite the heat. And their usual distance was erased with the absence of sobriety.  
  
Avoiding his eyes, Thor turned Bruce’s arm over, covering the angry marks on his wrist with his palm, as if he could wish his hurt away. Bruce’s arm felt hot, and his skin soft. He let Thor rub his thumb over his slightly curled arm hair, slowly matching his breaths to Hilde’s and Thor followed. His stomach squirmed, speaking of something more than friendship, but all too complicated for their small town to accommodate. They existed in a bubble that was purely the three of them. None of them talking about kisses or desires, just happy in the present. Content to act organically around each other without the pressure of explaining themselves.  
  
School loomed like a threat over the horizon. Thor let that thought drift away and latched onto the next.  
  
“Shall we get ice-cream tomorrow?” He whispered, pulling Hilde impossibly closer to him. She sighed sleepily.  
  
And even quieter came Bruce’s reply, “That sounds perfect.”  



End file.
